Frank Zehler
Second Generation
Frank Zehler
Frank Zehler was the thirteenth and last child of Peter Zehler and Anna Maria Klasen. The first record we
have of Frank is his baptism on November 9, 18561, at St. Cecilia's
Roman Catholic Church in Sheldon, New York. The U.S. Census of
186047 and of
187046 give his birth
place as New York. However, Frank's grave stone reads "born July 1, 1855", which
indicates he was born prior to the family immigrating to America. If so, Frank came to
America with his parents in 1856, and indeed the passenger list for the Sailing Ship Fairfield
shows a child of 11 months in the Zehler family. The child's name, however, Jacob, not
Frank.
Frank grew up on the family farm in Bennington, New York, where he would have obtained any
of his formal or informal education. The 1870 U.S. Census lists his occupation as a farm
laborer46, work he
probably continued in for his the remainder of life. Frank died on March 19, 1887, nearly
32 years of age, and is buried in the cemetery of Sacred Heart of Jesus in
Bennington2.
The story of Frank's short life would be routine, except for some peculiarities and contradictions
in the records. First, the U.S. Census lists his birth place as New York, even though the
date on his grave stone indicates otherwise. Second, and more important, the passenger
list contains an eleven month old child, exactly matching Frank's age, but with the name
Jacob. These facts point to a real mystery. We may not know what actually
happened, but a likely guess is possible. See A Family
Mystery.
These pages are our initial attempt to capture the history and genealogy of the Zehler
family. If you have comments or additional information which would add to this story,
please contact us at the following address:
